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# Bastien le Baalt

#### by Jerome Darmont

The copyright of this article remains with the original author. Articles may be copied or distributed freely for personal non-profit use, provided that the author is properly credited.

#### Bastien le Baalt, scholae Jerbitonis

### Background

Bastien de Pérac had everything to be perfectly representative of House Jerbiton. Third son of a noble from the Toulouse area, he could not hope to inherit any land. Furthermore, his family being numerous, he could not have assumed an honorable position as a churchman, like his younger brothers. Actually, he just needed the Gift to become the ideal apprentice of a Jerbiton magus.

A magus called Tristan first noticed Bastien's abilities. Tristan was a good friend of the Baron de Pérac (and of his lady, actually, but this is another story…), and had no trouble gaining young Bastien (who was 10 years old then) as his apprentice. Tristan, as a typical Jerbiton, was a great amateur of arts, and an artist himself. He was a fairly good painter, and his warm and staggering voice was appreciated when he told some tale in some castle's great hall. Tristan used to travel from town to town, home to home, always looking for inspiration, for a new sponsor, or for a diverting story to later recount. He tried very hard to share his passion with his young apprentice, and took great care of teaching him the Ars Magica as well as he could. Bastien was a pretty good student, though clearly preferring theory to practice.

One day, Bastien's life was changed forever by a singular encounter. A band of traveling acrobats came to perform at his master's host's castle. Bastien was literally fascinated by the performance! The hell with Latin and Magic Theory! He wanted to be a wandering entertainer! The acrobats sojourned at the castle for three days, and Bastien quickly came to know them all. When time came for them to leave, he settled to flee his master and to go with them. But Tristan was not the kind of magus to abandon an half-trained apprentice. Soon, he made use of divinatory magic and recovered the boy.

Now forced to study magic against his will, Bastien began to work less diligently. When his master was busy painting, he preferred training at various acrobatic prowesses rather than weaken his sight on old dusty grimoires or his master's paintings. His skills in terms of formal magic thus suffered. However, Tristan forced him to complete his apprenticeship, watching over him at all times, especially when they crossed the path of a group of wandering entertainers. But the discipline forced upon the young man was getting too heavy. The relationship between the master and the apprentice rapidly deteriorated. It deteriorated so much that Tristan considered not making Bastien pass his gauntlet and denouncing him to his sodales from House Flambeau as a hedge wizard. Though he eventually did no such things and let Bastien be declared a full magus, he always remained sore about that and at odds with his disciple.

As soon as his status was acknowledged by a Quaesitor in good standing, Bastien chose his name as a magus: le Baalt (meaning "the entertainer" in old French). Tristan, who was nourishing vague hopes of putting Bastien back in the "right path" after he became a magus, argued he now had responsibilities toward the Order of Hermes. But he was once more disappointed. His former disciple refused to listen to him and immediately left the Tribunal. Within a few weeks, he had found "his" troupe and has settled in…

Tristan eventually gave up and tried to forget his disappointment. He swore never to take an apprentice again, now that he had fulfilled his duty regarding the Order. The next winter, his steps lead him to Pérac. There, he had to tell his friend the baron about the choice of his filius. The reaction of the Péracs was so violent and unanimous Tristan was stupefied. They considered this true degeneration of one of them like a terrible shame. Bastien's elder brother decided to look for him and reason with him. It seems that he managed to find him effortlessly, but was wounded after a violent altercation with Bastien. Some even whisper that Bastien made use of magic to get rid of his angered brethren. Anyway, Bastien is since then undesirable among his own family.

Tristan now knew well what kind of effects the story of his pupil's scandalous choice could provoke. Thus, he maliciously told all his sodales how horribly ungrateful his filius had been. Most of the members of House Jerbiton were indeed utterly horrified.

Bastien still lives the life he had always aspired to, travelling from town to town, and from performance to performance. In order to remain under the protection of the Hermetic Code, he takes care not to break it (too much), and avoids using his magical abilities openly. He generally disdains Tribunals and other Hermetic meetings, but keeps up a couple of contacts within the Order, especially among the Redcaps. This helps him being aware of the petty intrigues fermented against him by Tristan. Bastien also tries to improve his mystical knowledge. To do so, he has a rudimentary lab in his cart (Quality: -2) that he can use when the troupe is resting (mostly in winter).

#### Story Hook

One year, a troupe of wandering acrobats establishes its winter quarters near the characters' Covenant. Some time later, a young Quaesitor comes and asks the magi for their help to seize one of their sodales, who blatantly breaks the Code by living among mortals. Of course, this magus is Bastien and the ambitious Quaesitor is manipulated by Tristan. The characters have to sort out this intrigue without making foes of the entertainers, who are already likely to be hostile.

Name: Bastien le Baalt

Parens: Tristan

House: Jerbiton

Age: 26

Size: 0

### Characteristics:

Int | 0 |  | Str | 0 |  | Prs | -1 | pointy nose | Dex | +3 | skilful
Per | -2 | careless | Sta | +2 | focussed | Com | +1 | charming | Qik | +1 | swift

### Virtues

Magic Affinity (Control of his own body) +1
Fast Caster +1
Gentle Gift +1
Special Circumstances (When somebody is playing music) +1
Subtle Magic +2
Quiet Magic +2
Contortions +1
Perfect Balance +1

### Flaws

Loose Magic -1
Poor Formulaic Magic -2
Poor Reader -1
Tormenting Master -1
Weak Writer -1
Bad Reputation -1
Black Sheep -1
Poor -2

### Personality Traits

Jovial +3
Mistrustful +1
Gambler +2
Careless +3

### Reputations

Wandering entertainer (at Pérac and within House Jerbiton) 2

#### Confidence

3

### Abilities

Etiquette (Wandering acrobats) 1
Order of Hermes Lore (Alliances) 1
Magic Theory (Spells) 4
Parma Magica (Rego) 2
Scribe Latin (Illumination) 3
Speak Latin (Corpus)5
Langue d'Oc (Slang) 4
Magical Affinity (Acrobatics) 1
Contortions (Edging his way) 1
Perfect Balance (Rope) 1
Athletics (Acrobatics) 3
Climb (Ropes) 1
Charm (First impression) 1
Concentration (While performing) 1
Folk Ken (Townsfolk) 1
Brawling (Knife) 3
Thrown Weapons (Reflex shot) 3
Certamen (Corpus) 1
Jongleur (Juggle) 3
Sing (Ballads) 1
Stealth (Sneak) 1
Carouse (Dice games) 1
Wagoneering (Speed) 1

### Hermetic Arts

Creo | 0 | Animal | 2 | Ignem | 0
Intellego | 1 | Aquam | 0 | Imaginem | 0
Muto | 8 | Auram | 0 | Mentem | 0
Perdo | 0 | Corpus | 10 | Terram | 0
Rego | 10 | Herbam | 0 | Vim | 0

#### Wizard's Sigil

Dark red (color of Corpus) light in the eyes when casting a spell.

### Grimoire

Endurance of the Berserker (ReCo 15/+21)
The Gift of Vigor (ReCo 20/+20)
Lifting the Dangling Puppet (ReCo 25/+20)
Disguise of the New Visage (MuCo 15/+18)
Preternatural Growth and Shrinking (MuCo 20/+18)
The Chirurgeon's Healing Touch (CrCo 20/+10)
Grip of the Choking Hand (PeCo 15/+13) (*)
Repel the Metal Arms (ReTe 20/+10)

(*) Bastien possesses this spell's focus (a branch of holly), the bonus for which is included in the spellcasting total.

Weapon (Brawling): Init: +5, Atk: +6, Dfn: +4, Dam: 0, Fat: +5
Weapon (Knife): Init: +6, Atk: +7, Dfn: +6, Dam: +2, Fat: +6
Weapon (Throwing Knife): Init: +3, Atk: +2, Dam: +3, Fat: +5

Soak: +3

Fatigue Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Unconscious

Body Levels: OK, 0, -1, -3, -5, Incapacitated

Equipment: Two or three knives, quilted half protection, colourful clothes

Encumbrance: 0